Drowning lessons
Subtitle: stories
By: by Peter Selgin.
Series: The Flannery O'Connor Award for short fiction
Publisher: University of Georgia Press; Brand: University of Georgia Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Athens
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
ISBN-13: 9780820332109
First sentence: He placed the oars in their locks and the floating seat cushion on the backseat.
Description: The thirteen stories in DROWNING LESSONS use water in different ways.  In “Swimming,” a man’s love affair with a lake threatens his marriage; in “The Wolf House,” a pond is the setting of the reunion—and dissolution—of a group of high school friends, brought together for a funeral.  “The Sink-ing Ship Man” chronicles a day in the life of an African American caretaker in charge of the only remaining survivor of the Titanic. In “El Malecón,” a toothless old Dominican man tries to recapture his lost dignity by “borrowing” a shiny convertible Cadillac and driving it along the coastal highway to his childhood village.  In “The Sea Cure,” two travelers in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula confront death in the form of a mysterious woman living in an abandoned beach-front apartment complex. In “Our Cups are Bottomless" the accuracy of a legend at the bottom of a diner menu becomes a matter of life or death for a man bent on suicide.
Notes: Praise for Drowning Lessons:

“Water flows through these stories, giving Peter Selgin’s characters moments of grace from their lives and also propelling them forward, as they try to swim through the problems that face them. Drowning Lessons is an extraordinary book; Peter Selgin’s writing creates a current that will carry readers farther than they would ever have expected, and leave them on a new shore.”
	—Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief

“A wine-dark blood rushes through the pages of Drowning Lessons. Tap a vein and drink deeply and taste the best and the worst kind of love. In these pages you will experience lust, spite, jealousy, fidelity, rose-flavored romance, and doe-eyed affection, sometimes all in the same story. Thank goodness for Peter Selgin, who shares with us the mysteries of the human heart in this electric, revealing collection.”
	—Benjamin Percy, author of Refresh, Refresh

“Peter Selgin’s stories are mordantly funny, at times desperately sad, but always full of hard-earned wisdom and subversive irony. His collection ranges across time and space in a way few other writers have. Drowning Lessons is a book that deserves serious attention from all lovers of American short fiction.”
	—Jess Row, author of The Train to Lo Wu

“A stellar collection deserving recognition. Selgin possesses a mature, complex voice and is able to conceptualize, compose, and perfect stories of brilliant diversity and tone. High emotional intelligence, empathy, courage, and intellectual curiosity fuel this collection, giving it a rare narrative fire beyond the obvious and admirable excellence of craft.”
	—Melissa Pritchard, author of Late Bloomer

“[Selgin’s] ability to sling together desire and suffering in complex and moving ways is singular and memorable.”
	—Booklist (online)

“[A] powerful collection. Selgin is never heavy-handed in his use of metaphor, and it’s rewarding to see the skill with which he employs it.”
	—Bookpage

“[A] masterful debut collection . . .Wickedly satisfying.”
	—Publisher’s Weekly

“An exceptional collection.”
	—Book Notes (online)

Winner of the Flannery O’Connor
Award for Short Fiction